Harvard Graduate School of Design to host “Systems for Inclusion” conference at GSD April 4-6, 2008
Exploring the social dimensions of the built and natural environments
Can design(ers) challenge globally networked systems of exclusivity and inequality? What are the relationships between design and political power, economic and ecological sustainability, justice and community?
These and related questions will be addressed at the “Systems for Inclusion” conference which will explore the interface of design and systemic social action. The conference, which is hosted by Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design in association with Design Corps, will take place in Piper Auditorium in Gund Hall at the GSD.
Targeted at students and young professionals who want to move beyond a purely aesthetic discussion—who see landscape/architecture and urban planning/design as an integrative and interconnected project—the conference seeks to jumpstart a new conversation about the social dimensions of the natural and built environments.
“While planning this conference we talked to students nationwide, and there is a re-emerging trend today among students to talk about more than just form,” notes Ashley Heeren, GSD student president and conference co-chair. “Young designers tend to see social responsibility as very important and want new models for design practice that connect activism with quality design.”
Since the first SFI was held at Princeton in 2000, SFI conference series have focused on: showcasing community-based design efforts that reach out to and serve a diverse clientele; and providing information on alternative career paths available to students and young designers. The interdisciplinary group of students from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who collaborated with Design Corps in planning SFI8 changed the name from “Structures for Inclusion” to “Systems for Inclusion” specifically to address how design interrelates with other fields such as public policy, environmental justice, and social entrepreneurship. Speakers include designers, politicians, government officials, artists, and students who have pioneered innovative methods for social change.
Keynote Speaker: Shigeru Ban
Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, internationally acclaimed for his humanitarian efforts and his innovative use of building materials, will present a lecture on April 4th on “Works and Humanitarian Activities.” The lecture will take place at 6:00pm in Piper Auditorium in Gund Hall at the GSD. This lecture is open to GSD faculty and staff, registered conference participants, and prospective students attending the GSD Open House.
First in the world to construct a building out of recycled paper, Ban built the “Community Dome,” a meeting place for victims of the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan. His “Paper Log Houses” provided temporary shelter for the earthquake victims. The houses were later reused for earthquake victims in Turkey and India. This work has led Ban to create housing for Rwandan refugees in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In 1995, Ban joined the U.N. commission as a consultant and established the Voluntary Architects’ Network to address housing shortages and substandard living conditions around the world. His material research into the structural capacity of organic materials, such as paper tubes, bamboo and wood, Ban has created a new vocabulary for contemporary architecture based in environmental and social concerns.
Panel 1: political \ art
Dan Adams (Principal, Landing Studio)
John Fetterman (Mayor, Braddock, PA)
Amy Balkan (Artist, Invisible 5, This is the Public Domain and Public Smog)
Panel 2: activist \ practice
David Perkes (Director, Gulf Coast Community Design Studio)
Carin Smutts (Principal, CS Studio Architects)
Liz Ogbu (Design Campaign Manager, Public Architecture)
Panel 3: social \ sustainability
Jim Diers (Founding Director, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods)
Simon Trace (CEO, Practical Action)
Chelina Odbert and Jen Toy, KDI (Co-Founders, Kounkuey Design Initiative)
Panel 4: design \ power
Teddy Cruz (Principal, Estudio Teddy Cruz and Associate Professor, University of California in San Diego)
Alfredo Brillembourg and Hubert Klumpner (Principals, Urban-Think Tank)
Systems for Inclusion 8 (SFI8) is made possible by the generous financial support of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, GSD Departments of Architecture and Urban Design, the Reischauer Institute, the Boston Society of Architects, the American Institute of Architects and the American Institute of Architects Students. Additional sponsors will be announced as they are confirmed.
Registration
To register for SFI8, visit the Design Corps registration page. Tickets are $5 for GSD students; $35 for non-partner school students; $50 for interns and young professionals; and $100 for architects and others.
About Design Corps
Established in 1999 and based in Raleigh, NC, Design Corps is a nonprofit architectural group whose mission is to find ways to offer quality, affordable design services to people and communities that could not otherwise afford them. Visit www.designcorps.org for more information.
Watch for updates on the Design Corps conference website.